2007 horror film Rating: 18/20
Plot: A dirty man falls in a hole. That dirty man climbs out of the hole and becomes an oil man, wealthy through greed, his lust for land above oceans of oil, and his lack of concern over stomping over anybody who gets in his way. He and the orphan boy he calls his son get a tip from the son of a preacher man and buy up land with the intent of drilling and then pipelining. God saunters along, and the dirty man spits on him. The air smells of oil, fire, brimstone, misanthropy, and bone.
Incredible. I can't remember seeing a movie as dark and as bleak and as utterly hopeless as this one, and after two and a half hours, I felt sort of like I'd been beaten with a stick. Just like Daniel Plainview's character (and Daniel Day Lewis is very very good in a gritty, physical, and chilling performance), the movie is just relentless. There's an atmosphere created from the very first scene, the gorgeous, dark cinematography sucking you into the movie and just gripping you. Every tiny bit of grime or ugliness or violence or thunder you see here is beautiful, each shot boldly artistic. I watched thinking, "Hmmm. . .odd but sort of interesting score," completely forgetting that it was the Radiohead guy, and I'm not sure whether or not I liked the score. Definitely different, probably adds to the overall experience. This and Old Men are true American movie experiences (both interestingly enough filmed in almost the exact same location and both interestingly enough not really made for the typical American audience), and they both paint with the most depressing colors in the crayon box. Both also make a good argument that great, complex characters can make great, complex movies. Paul Thomas Anderson can't make a bad movie, by the way. Anybody who can make a good movie with Adam Sandler in it has to have some kind of golden touch.
I won't forget this movie. And it won't forget me!
2 comments:
But didn't you like 'Big Daddy'?
You got it absolutely right in this review:
-Cinematography
-Score
-Direction
-Acting
-Writing
Loved what you said about the crayon box. Paul Thomas Anderson gets a free pass if he ever makes a bad movie in my eyes. And Daniel Day-Lewis is a master at work in this film. D D-Lewis always finds a voice to his character. I wonder if that's the first place he goes when finding a character and how to play him -- the voice. Listen to his voice in this compared to "Lincoln" or "Gangs of New York" or "Mohicans" or "Age of Innocence." I've never seen an actor be able to transform themselves with just their voice. Maryl Streep would be the only other actor I could think of with such versatility and screen presence.
This is one of those movies where you cannot predict what's going to happen next. The characters are alive on-screen and the story is so organic. Great movie. You're right, it isn't a "for everyone" kind of movie, but it holds up to my criticisms and walks away a champ.
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